


Deal

by onlyhereforellick



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, post-ep 17x07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24271312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: Ellie felt the sharp twinge of a dagger press against her breastplate, the tip of the knife she hovered over her chest slowly piercing her skin as Nick covered her hands wielding the knife and applied unyielding pressure.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 14
Kudos: 67





	Deal

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to Britt for the spitballing on this one! 😘

_Ellie paused, contemplating her next move. She could brush this off, just like she’d done so many times prior. Or- or, she could finally address the elephant in the room. Throwing her bag over her shoulder with a heavy sigh, she choose the latter as she dragged her feet towards Nick. “So are we gonna continue this awkward thing, or can we go back to being friends?” she asked, only slightly fearful of his answer._

_He shocked her, instead of his usually deflection- he…apologized? “You’re right- I’m sorry, it’s just when I saw you with Richard I got a little…” Nick’s eyes began to search hers, Ellie felt the oxygen suck from the room within an instant._

_He was actually going to say it, he was going to admit he was jealous._

_Holy shit, was she ready for this?_

_Was she ready for the implications his jealousy would bring?_

_Oh hell no, she most definitely was not._

_“Overprotective?” Ellie offered as she chickened out of her own mission._

_Nick’s expression hesitated a beat, stunned she gave him an easy out. Before the mask slid back in place and he repeated her words, the words she of all people supplied, “Overprotective, yeah.”_

Ellie felt the sharp twinge of a dagger press against her breastplate, the tip of the knife she hovered over her chest slowly piercing her skin as Nick covered her hands wielding the knife and applied unyielding pressure.

That twinge deepened until a sudden sting at the back of her head replaced it. And by the looks of Nick’s face- the shock in his widened eyes with a slight glint of fight, his pain was mirrored to hers.

Ellie’s hand flew to the back of her head to rub the already dissipating sting as she spun around to find the culprit...and quickly spun back to face the elevator when she felt the rush of air from the fast pace of a guilty person.

 _Gibbs_??

The unmistakeable silver hair atop a tailored navy blue blazer was a dead giveaway.

Nick was the first to speak up as Ellie was still speechless- staring at Gibbs’ retreating form with a hand to her head.

The wildness in his voice hard to hide, despite talking his own boss, “What the _hell_ , Gibbs?!”

_Did Ellie just get headslapped? Like the infamous headslap she’d seen a few times on Tony, headslap?_

_She was worthy?_

Gibbs chuckled darkly before mumbling something under his breath, unreachable to Ellie’s ears.

Nick shouted out again, even if his feet were frozen to their spot behind his desk, “Seriously, Gibbs! What the hell was that for?”

Ellie’s mind quickly inventoried every time she’d seen Tony get headslapped, and suddenly the puzzle pieces fell into place. In slow motion, her hand dropped from the now disappeared area of pain and she twisted back to face Nick, in clear view of his reaction to Gibbs’ first words.

Not even bothering to turn around from his spot awaiting the elevator, Gibbs yelled across the bullpen, “Jealous, Nick!” Ellie watched as Nick’s eyes bulged from his sockets- a clear indicator of the truth to Gibbs’ words, even if Ellie already knew as such before he spoke them. “You were jealous,” he added at regular volume while shaking his head. He went back to mumbling and Ellie swore she heard something about “not doing this shit again.”

The range of emotions Nick flipped through was downright hilarious. The man who was seconds from saying it himself only a few minutes prior until she gave him an out looked caught- a deer in headlights. And then pissed. And then confused. Back to pissed.

Ellie couldn’t take it, the absurdity of this entire situation brewed a bubble of laughter deep in her belly. She fought to keep it locked away as she stared at Nick’s twisted features while he struggled to settle on one reaction.

She’d been seconds from tears rolling down her face at the despair she felt from hearing the word, “overprotective” from Nick and now here she was- headslapped by her _boss_ essentially ordering her to date her coworker— _she read between the lines, sue her_ —about to bust out laughing.

Nick’s mouth opened and closed like a freaking guppy as his eyes slowly swiveled to meet hers, apparently still shook from Gibbs’ accusation.

Finally, a high pitched version of his usual voice escaped in his classic, “WhaaAAaAaat?? Jealous? Pfft.” He jerked his head to the side as if dismissing such a ridiculous notion. And at that point Ellie couldn’t hold it in any longer.

She cackled. Straight up, cackled. Doubling over clutching her midsection not even bothering to hide the unladylike snorts and noises escaping her lips as she laughed. In between spurts of laughter, she tried- genuinely tried, to explain herself. It didn’t work.

Slowly though, the bubbles subsided and Ellie carefully unfolded and peered up at Nick to see the damage.

He looked murderous.

Arms crossed, which sure- was supposed to look intimidating but oh hell Ellie couldn’t peel her eyes from his bulging biceps, defined forearms, and tight chest straining behind that black tee.

A small throat clear had her snapping her eyes back up to his from his chest and another gurgle of laughter broke free at the lethal look in his eye.

_Oh Jesus, not the time Ellie._

Now standing erect and clamping her lips shut she shuddered as she tried to keep the giggles locked away. Nick’s biceps flinched as he noticed her shaking from stifled laughter.

His voice deadly low, he practically growled at her, “How is this funny to you?”

When her mouth opened to reply another chuckle almost escaped and she slapped a palm to her mouth to shut herself up.

Nick looked to the ceiling for a quick second before he refocused on her face, hand over her mouth and all. His arms unfolded and clenched fists traveled to the top of his desk as he leaned forward in all his tense muscular glory. His jaw set and his teeth clenched, she knew it was wrong- she should be feeling remorse over getting him this worked up, and yet…here she was, getting heated for a whole other reason when his eyes bore into hers with an intensity she could only imagine he matched in the bedroom.

_FOCUS ELLIE._

Nick continued to stare and she realized he was waiting for her answer. She slowly removed her hand, hoping the laughter had finally subsided. Ellie’s analyst brain quickly assessed two options—again—help Nick blow off Gibbs’ words, or…return to her original plan, and call him out for his jealousy. _Gibbs basically told her too, anyways, right?_

A deep, fortifying breath in and once again, she went with option two, “You know why Gibbs headslaps people, don’t you?”

Nick looked offended somehow, “No, why the hell would I know why our boss gets enjoyment from causing his agents physical pain?” Granted as the words left his lips, Nick cocked an eyebrow as the words said aloud actually didn’t sound crazy.

Ellie shook her head, “He does it when the receiver is acting ridiculous.”

“And how were we being ridiculous?” Nick shot back defensively.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips and Ellie couldn’t stop it, “Well, you heard the man, Nick…” she paused gauging his reaction, “I think he wanted you to say you were jealous,” Ellie shrugged nonchalantly at the end and fought the urge to look away. She needed to see his expression when she finally confronted him with this.

A flash crossed his eyes, a look she couldn’t quite place, but she waited on bated breath to see if he denied it.

His mouth opened once, closed, then opened and hesitated. She could visualize his mind working overtime as he weighed his options.

Ellie stepped in for him, leaning an inch closer as she whispered, “Does it help if I say I was jealous, too?”

She watched as Nick sucked in a tight breath through clenched teeth- his face only mere inches from hers as they leaned over his desk together.

It was now or never, she walked over to this desk to address the damn elephant that had only grown to astronomical proportions over the past couple years, chickened out, but Gibbs gave her the perfect opening to get back on track. Ellie was done waiting, she could cry in bed a thousand more times or laugh hysterically over the absurd game they kept playing around each other, but neither got her want she so desperately wanted— _Nick_.

She spoke just above a whisper, trying to not break the delicate air that encapsulated them, “Italian’s overrated for a date, how do burgers sound?” Never breaking eye contact as she moved her head, tilting it ever so slightly to close the space and press a soft kiss just next to the corner of Nick’s mouth. Ellie’s nostrils filled with the scent of his woodsy aftershave as the grit of his late in the day stubble roughened her smooth lips, and she swore she’d waited her entire life for this moment. Lungs constricted as she leaned back to see his reaction, fear building deep in the pit of her stomach mixing with the butterflies swirling only a beat prior.

Ellie paused six inches from his stunned face, frozen as he processed her actions, until his eyes unglazed and locked on hers. The second the corner of his lips traveled upwards in the ghost of a smirk, Ellie felt herself release the breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

Nick whispered back across the small space, “Only if you promise no fake laughter—“ Ellie’s mouth opened to shoot out a retort, but he continued before she got the chance, “I only want to see _that_ -“ he said pointedly, referencing minutes before when she was doubled over laughing at their situation, “from now on. I don’t even care if you’re laughing at me because you’re downright gorgeous doing it.”

It was Ellie’s turned to be stunned silent. She felt the brush creep up and bloom across her now heated cheeks. And she didn’t even get the chance to react before Nick was moving in, the air between them practically sparking from the charged emotion as within an instant his warm lips covered hers in a quick, soft kiss. Leaving it simple- sweet, he pulled away and searched her eyes with his, “Deal?”

Surprised she even had a voice, Ellie whispered hoarsely, “Deal.”

And for potentially the only time in her life, she was grateful for a slap to the back of her head.


End file.
